Phil Ruffin’s One-Time Home in Las Vegas On Sale for $3.2M

Posted on: November 25, 2020, 06:59h. 

Last updated on: November 25, 2020, 09:11h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Casino mogul Phil Ruffin’s former Las Vegas house is now for sale. The listing price on the one-story home is $3.19 million.

An expansive 7,249-square-foot structure, it was custom-built in the 1970s. Prior residents have noted it is very livable, but well-suited for entertaining.

There are six bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, an office-library, a living room, and dining room. There is also a great room with a sunken bar.

The kitchen has black lacquer cabinets and black granite counters. A 7-by-9-foot central island has a sink and casual bar.

Among its unique touches are mirrored walls, wood-beamed ceilings, marble floors with gold inlay, and natural stone. On walls are silk upholstery, wainscoting, as well as crown molding.

Sliding glass doors lead to landscaped grounds – complete with a walking path — and an expansive pool deck.

500 Shetland [Road] is true vintage Vegas,” listing agent Darin C. Marques of Huntington and Ellis told Casino.org when asked about the house. “The construction of the home is superior to what you see in today’s typical custom home.”

He noted there is block wall construction, a metal roof, and a lot of natural light.

House Is Comfortable Place to Reside

“This is a very comfortable, livable home,” Marques added in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You feel you can come in, sit down and relax.”

Following Lynn Ruffin’s divorce from Phil Ruffin, she lived in the house until her 2011 death. While there, she married R.T. Smith, a businessman who formerly worked for the government. After his wife’s passing, he lived there until his death in 2019.

The original owner was Jerry Herbst, founder of the Terrible Herbst gas station chain that led to a spinoff of Herbst Gaming. That company later became Affinity Gaming.

Kenny Rogers Used to Live There

Before the Ruffins acquired the property in 1998, it was owned by famed country singer Kenny Rogers. He lived in the house for three years.

Rogers was associated with the Golden Nugget for many years. He performed there before gaining national celebrity and continued there as a headliner.

Rogers, who died in March, had also sponsored a softball tournament at UNLV. It benefited the Nevada Special Olympics.

Phil Ruffin, age 85, has owned other Las Vegas residential properties. In 2015, he acquired a 10-acre property — that was once owned by casino developer Gary Primm — for about $6.7 million. It was next to a house on 12 acres that Ruffin owned. Primm was the co-developer of New York-New York Hotel and Casino.

Beyond owning such gaming properties as Treasure Island Hotel and Casino — as well as Circus Circus Hotel and Casino — Ruffin is known as a friend and one-time business colleague of President Donald Trump.

Ruffin’s estimated net worth is $3.1 billion.